Heart Taker
by Umbreonwriter
Summary: When two people of like spirit meet at the beginning of their respective journey, they leave a lasting impression on the other. They carry this through their life, but does Fate decree that they are meant to be together? Or are they yet another partnership doomed to failure?
1. Chapter 1

Dark Taker

 **Hello everyone, Umbreon Writer, back relatively sooner then expected. This was actually something I was working on for a few months after running with my Blade Master and my friend's Crimson Avenger. We had gotten started talking about the Elgang's reactions to her as CrA, and my creative mind began running rampant with ideas, and thus this was born. This also takes place as part of both the jobs lore as well as the in game objectives for the jobs.**

 **This is going to be about three chapters long, and yes, I am aware that both Elesis and Raven are OOC. Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword, or anything associated with it or KOG.**

 _No one was sure how it happened. Even he wasn't sure, and he still couldn't fight his feelings for her. She was...elegant, yet brutal. Fierce, yet compassionate. He remembered meeting her when he was attaining his swordsmanship once more, and he knew who she was, and her him. It seemed like it had taken place so long ago, but in reality, it had been only a year or so, and he still remembered it._

Raven stepped away from an incoming attack from one of Wally's many soldiers. His memories of swordsmanship were gone, taken away in a current of rage fueled by his Nasod arm, but he was fortunate in that the soldiers were undergoing rigorous training so that they could fight like Velder Knights and carried their manuals. Now, as he continued, his skills were slowly returning, and these fools never stood a chance.

A soldier with a large sword charged from behind, partially weighed down by his armor. 'His sword is heavy enough, combined with his armor and the strength he's likely to put into the strike...easy.' Raven thought quickly, and his analysis proved correct. He sidestepped a downward strike, matching it with his own horizontal one, cutting off his assailant's arm. His would-be attacker reeled back, holding his stump as the limb flailed slightly, his pain put to a merciful end as Raven quickly removed his head.

His first assailant's blade, which was sent towards Raven's spine while his back was turned, was deflected by a slim red claymore, the ring of metal causing Raven to whirl around, his blade at the ready. He was met by the sight of a young, red haired woman in a black outfit bifurcating the soldier, jumping away from the spurt of blood with an elegance. Raven looked down as some splashed onto his metal arm before looking back at the red haired warrior. She swung her claymore slightly to get the blood off before looking over at him, angling it towards him.

He noticed her lower face was being covered by a blood red muffler with Velder's symbol on the ends. Her eyes were green, much like Elsword's, but older, more mature, but exceedingly more dangerous. "Who are you?" She demanded, her posture ready to intercept him should he attack. Raven lowered his blade, meeting her gaze.

"Raven, commander of the Black Crow Mercenary Knights and Sword Taker, ally to the Elsearch group. And you?" The woman sheathed her blade, nodding once.

"Elesis, the Dark Knight of Velder and commander of the Red Knights." She turned to him fully, bowing in accordance when completing her introduction. Raven raised an eyebrow at her attire; an entirely black leather bodysuit, black leather pads protected her torso below her modest breasts. Her arms were lined with glowing red threads, almost as if they were channeling dark energy, the same went for her legs, high black boots traveling up past her knees and stopped barely below her waistline. Along her waist, from under the black leather pads came a long half cape hanging behind her legs, a long cut in the middle, two red studded belts hung from them unused, one directly at her waist, the other at the same area as her knees.

Raven felt his cheeks beginning to color as he saw the bare skin on her front, just along her hips and above her womanhood. Shaking such thoughts from his mind, he noticed her observing him herself. She tilted her head in curiosity. "I heard the Crow Knights were disbanded some years ago."

He nodded stiffly, vividly remembering the reason why. "They were. However, I am the only one who remains, and I shall carry the memory of my comrades and brothers-in-arms with me as I carry on my training." She seemed to smile, though it was mostly hidden by her scarf.

"I am interested in seeing a living Crow Knight in battle." She started to say, most likely issuing a duel, but more of Wally's soldiers had spotted them and were bearing down on them.

Raven turned to face the new opponents, bringing his sword up from his side in a ready position. "Then you shall, as more of these corrupt fools attack." This earned a laugh from her as she tore her claymore out of it's sheath, it's point angled to the floor as she held it to her right, a manner similar to Elsword, he noted. They attacked in tandem of one another, and though they never fought together before, they were fluid in their movements, dancing and weaving about as their blades sliced the air apart, crimson flying and coating the ground and fallen corpses.

The mayhem ensued for minutes, seemingly hours, but in the end, the two stood back to back, their breathing heavy as much of Wally's guards lay dead or dying, blood soaking the ground and the fabric of their clothes, their blades covered in it. The woman turned her head slightly, grinning viciously as she looked at Raven. "You certainly are a good fighter."

Raven looked at her in amusement. "As are you. You surpass many in skill." She straightened, glowing at the praise.

"Your words mean more then you think, Raven." Elesis smirked. They both stood at the sound of another woman calling his name.

"That's Rena. She seems worried. I'm afraid I must go." Raven seemed genuinely sad to leave, and Elesis seemed to share these feelings. Her face fell as Raven turned to go towards the source of the voice.

"Raven." He turned to look at her, and was met by her brushing her lips against his. His eyes widened before she pulled away, a mischievous light in her eye. "Good bye, Raven." She said before leaving herself, turning around just before he disappeared from sight. "Heart taker..." She whispered quietly before dashing away, almost embarrassed at her words.

 **Hey, hope you all enjoyed. I know it seems a little rough around the edges and/or rushed. I apologize for this but I wanted to get this out. I already have the second chapter in the works, so it shouldn't be too long for this to be updated.**

 **Now, I know this is RavenxElesis, but I want to point out that I am a pure RavenxEve shipper all the way, unless it's Reckless Fist where Rena would be paired with him (I may do a story explaining that, I'm not sure yet).**

 **Until next time everyone, feel free to favorite, follow and review.**

 **And now, Umbreon Writer bids you all farewell!**

 **P.S.**

 **RAVEN AND EVE ALL THE WAY! LET US ALL RALLY BEHIND THE TRUE PAIRING!**


	2. Chapter 2

Dark Taker

 **Hello everyone, Umbreon again. I got time to write this in the wake of funeral arrangements and sorting through things with my friend's cousin. This continues the three shot of quite possibly the most unlikely pairing in Elsword (and yes, if anyone can think of another pairing that's even more unlikely, please send me a PM or include it in a review). I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and with it I turned the rating to T, as I felt that I had done enough for the M community with Loving a Bird. At least for now.**

 _That was the first time they had met, the first impression let it's mark on them both. They remembered each other, and always kept an ear out for the other, to hear of their accomplishments and where they were. It was coincidence, however, that they were headed towards Velder at the same time to combat demons. But was it coincidence, or was it fate, trying to guide these two together? But they did not meet at Velder, no they met once again at Feita, their powers having grown respectively. That was the first night they spent together..._

Raven breathed a sigh of relief when they came within sight of the Feita refugee camp. The Elsearch group had heard the rumors of what had happened to the city and went to assist them as soon as they could, but it turned out that they were too late. Elsword ordered the group to fan out and assist with whatever was needed before sprinting off to see if he could help the troops.

The group dissolved, each to assist as much as they could, which left Raven alone, as his skills suited to helping weren't many. He patrolled the camp as he saw a group of soldiers, with different looking equipment then the standard Feita soldiers, wearing red scarfs around their necks. They kept to themselves mostly, but were alert, patrolling the borders of the camp dutifully.

Looking around quickly, he spotted a familiar dark red hair catch the light of a campfire and quickly made his way over to confirm his suspicions. His eye lit up when he realized that it was indeed her. "Elesis!" He called out. She turned to face him, her face shrouded in suspicion before her eyes widened, a wide smile appearing.

"Raven!" She ran up to meet him, embracing him tightly, which was wholeheartedly returned, burying her face into his shoulder, still smiling. "What are you doing here? I thought you were hunting for the El?" Raven nodded and pulled away slightly, reluctant to let her leave his arms for some strange reason.

"We found it, but we heard about the demon attacks so we came to assist as much as we could." Elesis smiled even wider, feeling uncharacteristically girly with him.

"We can use all the help we can get. And I want to talk to you, especially." Raven raised an eyebrow but Elesis giggled lightly before pulling away from him and walking away, beckoning for him to follow. Raven obeyed, well aware that he was being observed by the Red Knights, taking their measure of the man who affected their leader in such a way. She led him to the edge of the camp, standing beside a lone tree that stood upon a hill, looking down on a vast empty plain, leading to Feita.

She sat down upon the hill, and patted the grass beside her, still smiling when Raven sat down beside her on her right. She sighed, unbuckling her claymore's sheath and having it fall behind her, moving it to her side. Raven decided to break the silence between them, feeling a little awkward about it. "You are here to fight the demons I assume."

She nodded. "Yes. It's the job of the Red Knights to defend the innocent and fight off evil. Demons have come and attacked so many cities, no one can keep up. We are a large force; the forces we have here are only a small fraction of our total strength. Most of my men are in Hamel at the moment, though at last report, the demons seemed to have vanished almost entirely from that area."

"Chung got word from Hamel that said almost the same thing, though he is still worried about the situation." Raven mused quietly.

"I forgot the prince of Hamel was traveling with you. But I sent word that I am recalling all of my men for an assault on Velder; we hope to at least strike a major blow to the demon forces so that their advance is stalled, at least for a little while." Elesis let out a heavy sigh as she brought her knees to her chest. "I...will be honest with you Raven, I'm worried. The reports we got from Velder...they are in a bad place with nowhere to go. The survivors can only leave through the valley, but that leads straight into Feita, and into another horde of demons." Raven looked at the young woman and, without thinking, put his Nasod arm around her shoulder. She looked at the metal and then back at the older man, her eyes conveying her desire for an answer to her unspoken question.

Raven sighed and looked up at the stars, partially obscured by the dark clouds. "It was years ago...I was a commoner, but I was in command of the Black Crows, which you already knew." She nodded, already drawing a conclusion. "Well, the nobles didn't like a commoner commanding such an elite force, and I was betrayed by a close friend, framed for a false crime. I was imprisoned, and I was probably going to be sentenced for execution." Elesis scowled; she had always hated nobles, stuck up bastards that they were, but to hear that they would go to these lengths. "My Knights knew I was innocent, and they broke me out, along with my...then fiancee. We ran from Velder, but before we could escape, we were ambushed by soldiers. My friends...my fiancee were all killed in front of me. My arm was cut off and I was left to die, soaked in the blood of my dead loved ones. Before I could fall into unconsciousness, I saw a Nasod approach, and it offered to grant me the power of vengeance. I accepted weakly, and fell asleep. When I woke up... I was in a stasis pod, my missing limb replaced with this arm." Raven didn't go into detail of what the arm allowed the Nasods to do with him, but it seemed he didn't need too.

Elesis reached behind her, moving his arm over her head and held it in front of her. She looked at it for a moment before taking one hand and tracing over the grooves of his hand with her finger. "So you are the one I heard about...the man controlled by Nasods."

Raven looked away, shame apparent in his now tense body. Elesis let go of his arm, letting it fall beside him before embracing him, pressing her cheek on his shoulder, feeling the cold metal through the sleeve of his coat. Raven looked down as she moved his hand, weaving her fingers with his.

"As much as I wanted to punish you for the crimes you committed...your actions were not your own. I cannot in good conscience punish you for that. However...your past friend, if he is still alive, will not escape my fury." She looked up at him, determination in her eyes. "I swear that to you Raven."

Raven smiled slightly. "You needn't do it Elesis. I have made peace with my past and will make find absolution for my own sins."

She turned towards him quickly, sitting on her knees with her legs under her. "You shouldn't do it alone Raven!" She exclaimed. "I will stay beside you every step of the way, I promise!"

Raven's smile turned into a sly smirk. "What makes you wish to stay? You have your duties to your Knights."

Elesis pulled her hand from his and gripped his shoulders tightly, staring him dead in the eye. "They have learned to operate without me, and I have a second in command they all respect as well. And...I..." She started to say something but choked on her own words and looked down, her courage lost for quite possibly the first time. Raven tilted his head, bringing his human hand up to touch her cheek but stopped when she looked back up at him. "I...this shouldn't have happened but...I...I find myself falling in love with you Raven...we've only met twice but...I feel as if I've known you my entire life. I respect you, your swordsmanship, your honor. You are a great man, even if you committed horrible deeds, but it was not your own doing."

"Elesis..." Raven brought his Nasod arm to her side as she scooted herself closer.

"Please Raven...I'm not asking for you to accept this, you suffered the lose of your fiancee only a few years ago and-" She was cut off as Raven moved his head to her, solidifying the kiss they almost had nary a year before. Her eyes widened but she closed them immediately, bringing herself into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. They stayed like this for a moment, but it felt longer to the two of them.

Elesis pulled away first, her face flushed and her breath heavy. It was her first kiss, and even if it wasn't entirely intimate, it was still taxing on her. Raven placed his forehead on her own, golden eyes meeting green. "You are foolish to fall in love with a man like me Elesis...but I accept and return your feelings." Raven's voice could barely be heard, but his words brought a wide smile and joy she hadn't felt before.

The two stayed in that position for a short time, simply enjoying the feeling of being in each others arms, before Elesis lifted her head from his shoulder. "Raven...you know the life of a warrior is short...and we could very well not make it past this war." Her voice was quiet and somber, as was her eyes. "I...want to...would you...stay the night with me?" Raven looked at her in surprise, clearly mulling it over in his head as she waited, scared for his answer. He returned her love but would he desire to spend the night with her this early?

"Only if you are truly certain you want it to be me."

Elesis almost laughed, that was a response she expected from him as he struck her a that type of man. "I am certain Raven. I love you and if you are my first, then I will be able to die in the field at least with a little bit of happiness." Her admission surprised even her, but she would stand by it firmly as she did everything else. Raven nodded once and pecked her cheek before making to stand up. Elesis got off of his lap and picked up her claymore, the two making their way back into camp, stopping only for Raven to reassure the Elsearch group that he was alive and well, though he wouldn't be returning to their own rest area but wouldn't give an explanation, something that caused Eve to scowl, and Elesis to give patrol orders for her Knights before retiring to her tent with Raven.

 **Well, there we go. I know that they are both OOC, but for this pairing to actually work, it would have to be. Besides, I think we've all had our moments of behavior changes when approached with a new situation.** _  
_

 **Anyway, that'll wrap it up for today guys. Not sure when the next update will come, still sorting through things for Wings, but also trying to wrangle personal life into a chokehold. Feel free to review if you want too, any constructive criticisim would be much appreciated.**

 **Umbreonwriter**


	3. Chapter 3

Dark Taker

 **Well this was quicker then even I expected. I did manage to get things sorted out in my life, but that said, I wouldn't expect quicker uploads from me. I'm notoriously slow at uploading anything, and this was done in one sitting. The reason for this was because I wanted to try something a little different. I'll explain at the end of the chapter, so for now, feel free to read at your own time.**

 _To them, the night passed far to quickly, but they found solace that it gave them another goal, another reason to come out of the battle alive. However, it was not to be, as demons do not answer to the will of fate, and it is forced to accommodate for their actions. And this pair was no exception..._

They had reached Velder at last. The Elsearch group had fought their way through Feita, liberating much of it and pushing routing the demons out of the province and then went to Velder refugee camp. In the camp, the Lord Knight had gathered information on the situation while the others stocked up on equipment. Raven, in the meantime, had questioned the locals about if the Red Knights had passed through, and was delighted to know that they had in fact.

As the group met up and departed to the demon held city, Raven had felt his delight at knowing that Elesis and her Knights were alive slowly turning into an inexplicable dread. He tried to keep it from affecting his fighting, and from he could tell he was successful, though he could constantly feel Eve's suspicious stare locked onto him.

Fighting their way into the ruins, Elsword quickly called for the group to break off and search for any survivors left behind and to stay in close enough range of each other to assist if needed. He and Aisha went off to the center, the Void Princess uncertain about her own powers against the demons, Rena and Chung went to the outskirts, the Deadly Chaser actually sprinting ahead of the Grand Archer to act as scout, leaving himself and Eve.

Eve, with her own weaponry and codes, took off on her own, Moby and Remy following the Nemesis Queen as Raven stayed outside of the city gates. He wasn't entirely comfortable with even going into the city that he used to protect, then attacked after his betrayal, even if it wasn't him consciously doing it, so he went to the land surrounding the once great city. He met very little resistance in his trek, though the occasional demon swiftly met it's end at his own saber, but he met no survivors, something that distressed him. What even distressed him more was the appearance of corpses wearing...red scarfs?

Raven quickly ran towards them, looking over them only to find that there were no survivors and that these corpses had been dead for several days. Raven took the time to close their eyes before quickly moving on, hearing the sound of battle caught his attention. The Blade Master drew his sword and sprinted towards it, coming around the crumbling ruins to see a woman wearing black and red leather tearing through demons without mercy or hesitation. Raven's eyes widened before running to join the fray, quickly eviscerating the closest demon that was coming up behind the warrior woman.

The entire conflict only took a few short minutes, and Raven turned towards her, his joy at finding who was no doubt Elesis quickly turned to surprise when he saw her desecrating a demon's corpse. "Elesis?" Raven's voice was hesitant, and recoiled in surprise when the woman turned around, her body covered in blood, her once vibrant emerald eyes now a sickened gold that burned with a raging fury.

"Stay out of my way fool!" She hissed at him, her voice no longer the firm and compassionate tone it once was, now a dark and deranged echo of itself. She pulled her claymore from the corpse and turned towards him, clearly itching to see if he was worth fighting.

"Elesis it's Raven! What happened to you?!" He asked, desperate that the young woman hadn't been corrupted by demonic magic as had happened so much before. He noticed her claymore had changed from it's once slim and beautiful weapon into a twisted tool that looked more suited to torture then combat.

"What happened?! Everything I poured my life into died before my very eyes! Everything I've ever cared about, dead! Because of demons!" She shrieked, gripping her claymore with a single hand while she swung the other across the field, gesturing to all of her dead allies that Raven just now noticed were present, along with a fair number of demon corpses. "Frederick, my quartermaster, speared through the gut and his throat torn out!" She gestured pointedly to one whose status very much matched her story. "Gerald, his wife in Elder with a baby due in nary three months! Everyone, dead! Do you hear me you criminal?!" She roared at him, swinging her claymore wildly once before burying it's end into a demon's skull.

Raven cringed slightly at her calling him a criminal. 'This is no longer Elesis.' He thought grimly, feeling more then a simple stab in his heart at the thought of the young, beautiful woman having changed in such a way. "Elesis stop! They are not all that you loved! Elsword, your own brother yet lives!"

"Elsword is a selfish brat who cares for nothing but his own success!" She immediately snapped.

"Me." His words froze her, her sickly yellow eyes widening as they remained fixated on him. She was unstable, and this could very well have sent her over the edge...

 **And cliffhanger? I hate them just as much as others honestly, but remember when I said I wanted to try something new out? Originally I was planning for this to be the last chapter and have one thing occur as the ending, but then I thought that it wouldn't feel right, but I didn't feel like I could go back and rewrite what I've already posted (as it wasn't grammar or anything of that sort). So I decided to have two different endings, and you guys can decide which one you want to be the canon ending. Naturally, this will take a little bit of time, and I might post them at the same time so you guys won't have to wait, but I might not. I don't know yet. Let me know what you guys think about this, and I'm really sorry it's shorter then the others.**

 **Read and review guys, I love getting feedback.**

 **Umbreonwriter**


	4. Chapter 4

Dark Taker

Her eyes faintly gained their old life, her stance slowly loosening. "Ra...ven..." She muttered before she twitched violently, dropping her claymore and gripping her head tightly. "No...no no no...No you died...I saw you...They had your body! Ripped apart, your arm broken-YOU AREN'T REAL!" She shouted in denial, her body growing tense again as she began struggling internally.

"Elesis...I am real. I'm standing right here. Please...come back to me." Raven's voice was calm, placating and patient.

She shook her head violently, her bright red hair falling loosely in front of her face, partially obscuring it. "No you aren't! Why did you follow me Raven?! Why didn't you stay in Feita?! You would still be alive, I would still have you!" She was losing it once more, her voice slowly giving away back into the madness that claimed her previously.

Raven slowly took several steps towards her, his blade down, held limply at his side. "Elesis, you do still have me. I left Feita shortly after you did to come help Velder with the others. I was never with the Knights Elesis."

She scrambled back awkwardly, grabbing her fallen blade with her eyes wide and feral. "No, stay away from me! You are an illusion!" She declared in fear, backing away from his slowly advancing form until her back hit a wall that was still standing.

The white garbed swordsmaster continued his steady footsteps. "I am not an illusion Elesis. That single night we shared...I remember it vividly. The way you felt in my arms, how you felt against me as we lay together-"

"SHUT UP!" She yelled angrily, swinging her sword blindly, her eyes closed tightly as memories bombarded her possessed mind. She was enraptured by her inner struggle that she failed to notice something warm on her cheek until a dark mass fell towards her. Snapping from her haze, she dropped the claymore once she realizes that it was Raven falling. The still sane part of her mind registering what was happening, she wrapped her arms around him, the small sanity left concerned that he had tripped before registering the warmth on her cheek, as well as the same feeling spreading across her torso and legs.

Looking down, her pale yellow eyes widened in horror as she realized it was blood. She whimpered, her mind near breaking permanently as she struggled to comprehend what had just occurred, temporarily coming back to reality. "R-Raven...p-please...wake up...please wake up..." She muttered as she cradled the man, having sank to her knees. "Don't go to sleep...I want you to wake up...please wake up..." She continued to mutter the same phrase over and over again, even if in the back of her mind she knew he wouldn't live. The blood that she had spilled was far to much, she could do little if anything to stem the flow.

Her mental state was separated even more now. The part of her that was driven into insanity by her Dark El was raging, demanding that demon blood be spilled for them making her see him die again, while the very small part of her that was still stable was struggling to break through, to make her see that she was the cause of his current state, the cause of his blood currently coating her front and arms.

The famed knight was so enthralled in her own slowly depleting sanity and breaking mind that she failed to notice a lone white haired figure approaching, her every motion displayed an elegance that no living being could ever achieve, an elegance that was reserved only for the immortals that remained unseen. Beside her floated her faithful allies, never once having left her side, ever alert for danger.

The woman stopped in front of the knight, drawing her attention from the one she loved to black leggings. She slowly drew her gaze up, taking in the newcomer's immortal elegance and the five small blades floating behind her. The white haired woman was the first to speak, her voice cold and devoid of feeling. "Elesis, human, kin to Elsword. Verify." A Nasod, Elesis' sane part of her mind, what little remained, filed this fact away as she weakly nodded. "You have put the life of my ally in jeopardy. Release him."

Elesis tightened her grip on the slowly dying man, crouching over him as a feral look overcame her features. "No! I won't let him die alone!"

"And if you release him, he will not die at all. Please, cooperate. I do not wish to use force with my ally in danger." Elesis jerked as if shocked and quickly, yet with great care, set Raven to the ground, his serene face echoing in her mind; she had seen him like this in her tent. She loved him...why had she done this? "Moby, Remy, gather our allies and bring them here immediately." The drones beeped in acknowledgment before flying quickly into the sky towards the infested city. The woman slowly sat on her knees beside the man and reached into her top's collar, taking out a small bottle of red liquid. She opened it and swiftly poured the solution into Raven's mouth, her expression not changing once.

Elesis lifted the man's head before she started pouring the healing liquid, and even when she was done she was cradling him, the red haired woman's words were pleading, quiet and pitiful, words that were never before used to describe the strong-willed woman. The Nasod removed a roll of bandages and began to wrap the wound as best she could, though it was clear that for all of her elegance and air of superiority, she was inexperienced in tying bandages, and while Elesis wanted to help, she herself was in no shape to do so, her hands and very frame shaking violently with restrained tears and emotion.

The Nasod finished, albeit clumsily, and pulled her hands back from the previously white fabric, acknowledging that there was nearly nothing more she could do for her ally, someone who she would dare to call 'friend'. She had trust in Raven's ability to pull through, he had survived the loss of an entire limb and the emotional distress of seeing loved ones die in front of him, surely he could pull through this comparatively minor wound? The Nasod woman turned her head when the noise of running reached her receptors, giving her a much desired reprieve from her 'mind' running up various outcomes of the wound, which she very much didn't wish to visit.

Running caught her attention, causing her to turn around, ready to take out her array of weapons if the need to defend arose, but stayed still when she realized it was her friends. Elsword stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Elesis, his eyes widening as the other three hurried past him to their fallen comrade.

"Raven!" Rena cried in distress, crouching next to the swordsman, placing a hand on his neck, her panic rising when she noticed his faint heartbeat. She closed her eyes and prayed, urgent for the help of the wind spirits to try and heal the man who worked his way into her heart.

Aisha was frantic, pulling out scrolls she had found that could hopefully heal the man who took up a fatherly role in her life, but in her hasty scanning of each scroll, she realized that for all of the power held within these scrolls, the Dark El that seeped from the cause of his wound was simply too much. The El, combined with how severe the wound itself was...she refused to entertain that notion any further.

Chung gritted his teeth, upset that yet another man he looked up to was at risk of being taken, his grip on his Silver Shooters tightening to the point where all blood in his hands were nearly entirely white inside of his armor. Tearing his eyes from Raven's prone form, he took to surveying their surroundings, ensuring that they weren't going to be attacked, the prince mentally daring a demon to come out and attack simply out of the desire to inflict pain on their kind.

Elesis looked up at the group, her eyes empty, echoing a soul aching pain she felt inside. "I-I didn't-it wasn't..." She looked down back at the man, slowly caressing his serene face. "I...had no wish...to hurt him..."

"We are aware." The Nasod stood as she spoke, looking down at Raven. "Recommended course of action is securing that structure for rest." She pointed to a farm house that wasn't as destroyed as most of the others.

"I'll go look through it and bring blankets to help carry Raven." Chung spoke, flat and emotionless as he stormed towards the building, eager to put his bullets into something deserving of a painful death. Elsword snapped out of his stupor and immediately his new 'take charge' mentality took over.

"Agreed. Aisha, stabilize his condition with your scrolls, prep him for moving. Rena, do what you can with the spirits, otherwise look for something sturdy we can use to move Raven safely, I'll help. Eve, get Moby and Remy to be on the look out for threats and be ready to eliminate anything that isn't friendly that approaches." Elsword ordered firmly, earning confirmation from his team before he darted off into a nearby structure, hoping to distract himself from his current situation. His mentor laying near death, his sister covered in his blood and with a deranged aura to her when he looked to her...it was too much right now, but he needed to push that aside and remain strong, focused.

Eve sent her two drones into the air, keeping them on alert as she summoned one of her large guns, holding it with an ease that surpassed even the strongest of humans. Surveying the horizons, she remained focused as Rena started channeling the energy of the spirits that answered into Raven's body, cooperating with the magic from Aisha's scrolls.

Elesis didn't know what to do, but she slowly grew calmer, unbeknownst to her the wind spirits Rena was channeling were transferring parts of their energy into her to combat the dark influence that was threatening to tear her mind apart once more. Elesis jumped violently when several gunshots rang out from the house the blonde haired boy had entered, followed by demonic screams. One tried to jump out of the window, only to be caught in the air by a bullet slamming into it's back, it's body dissipating with it's death before it hit the ground.

Elesis watched warily as the white armored boy walked out, his face stone set as he approached Elsword, who was still scouring for something secure. "Secured. We can move him in whenever they are done."

Elsword nodded. "Alright, then...help me. Blankets, wood, something to make a stretcher." Chung nodded in response and set about helping his leader, Elesis could only helplessly notice internally that her younger, arrogant, hotheaded brat of a brother had grown into a man worthy of being a knight.

Meanwhile, Rena pulled her hands away from Raven's chest, looking visibly drained as her eyes seemed much duller than she normally did. "The spirits did all they could..." She informed the other two, before lowering her voice and head to avoid the others hearing. "Which isn't saying much..." She muttered quietly, hating that she wasn't able to do anything more.

Aisha finally finished chanting endlessly from her pile of scrolls, looking at the bandages to see the progress they made. It wasn't much but...did it look better? The purple haired girl could only hope that was the case and not her mind playing tricks on her. She took a shaky breath and looked at Elesis. "He...is better. But I agree with Elsword, we should take him somewhere safe, hold down for the night...see if his progress gets better."

"Y-Yes...t-thank you...for helping him." Elesis choked out, her voice cracking and unsteady as her mind continued it's struggle, albeit it was now more subdued than before. She could still hear the whispers of the El inside of her, demanding her to take revenge on the demons, but she managed to quell it with what little willpower she had at her disposal at that moment.

Rena looked up at the redhead, her eyes semi-wet. "We won't let him die; he means too much to all of us." She wanted to say more, but was cut off by Chung and Elsword picking up Raven, placing him onto the makeshift stretcher with great care. Aisha and Rena stood to help, but Elsword shook his head.

"We have him. Get into the house; we are camping there tonight." With that, the two men trekked to their chosen hideout. Aisha looked at Elesis and held out a hand to her while Rena jogged after them. Elesis looked up at the young witch uncertainly, but took her hand slowly and was helped up.

Elesis stood unsteadily, and almost fell when she bent over to pick up her fallen sword, even though she almost didn't want to see it ever again because of his blood on it. Aisha stopped her and picked it up herself, staggering slightly under it's deceptive weight, and handed the handle to Elesis. "I can't...hold it like you and Els..." Aisha explained clumsily. The older woman nodded slightly and held it at her side with practiced ease, and made her way after the trio, Aisha close behind after she caught sight of Eve still on look out, her gun out at the ready.

The group went inside, Eve following behind at a distance while Moby and Remy assisted Elsword and Chung in moving Raven from the stretcher onto a bed on the upper floor. The white and black drones then dutifully took up positions in the room as Elsword took up command again, ordering the group to rest and rotate watch duty, Chung volunteering to take over once Eve came back. The Elsearch group disbanded, Aisha going into a separate room with Elsword, her eyes betraying her internal distress, while Rena stayed with Raven and Elesis. Chung left with only a final, sad look at Raven before his face steeled and he left the room.

Silence descended upon the house once more, Elesis holding Raven's metal hand tightly, as if by sheer strength she could keep his spirit in this world. Looking out at the window, Rena saw night was falling and stood up. "We should leave him in peace..." She started to say, only to be cut off by the wild eyed human girl.

"No! I am staying here with him until I know he's alive!" Elesis growled, her eyes daring Rena to pull her away. The elf had seen the look on many wild animals before, a look that conveyed the will to destroy anyone who dared put their mate in jeopardy, and Rena had a feeling that her destruction would only be more devastating given her mental state. Rena bowed her head and left the room, closing the door behind her gently and going into the living room to see Eve sitting straight in a chair, Chung perched on a tree outside swinging one of his Silver Shooter's around his finger as he maintained watch.

Eve moved her head towards Rena. "Status?"

Rena looked over at the Nasod for a moment, registering what she had asked before realizing. "Oh...Raven seems to be stable...for right now at least." She looked away before Eve could analyze her eyes any further; the Queen had gotten adept at learning what her friends were thinking through eye contact.

It proved all for naught however. "You are worried of Elesis."

Rena looked up angrily. "Of course I am! You can see the Dark El in her, it's in her eyes, even her clothes! And she...she's involved with Raven!" She spat, although one would be forgiven for not knowing if she meant it in jealousy.

"You cannot control matters of the heart. Is that not what you yourself said to Aisha when she came to you about Elsword?" Eve retorted calmly, mollifying Rena's anger to a certain extent.

"It's not the same! She is tainted by Dark El! You could see how insane she's become!" Rena protested, slamming a fist into a wall as her voice started to be raised.

"It is the same thing. Your judgment is clouded by jealousy, and focusing on one thing." If it had been a year prior, Eve would not be trying to even argue with Rena about this, but the time the Queen spent with her friends, she learned much about emotions and how they translated into their voice and expressions.

"Eve, she can't make Raven happy even if he does survive! Even normal El can make someone sterile, Dark El will ensure she will never carry a child for him!" Rena would have continued, but she was cut off by Aisha whispering from behind her.

"You don't know if humans and elves can conceive either, so why are you fighting so hard against this?" The mage sank herself onto a nearby couch, seemingly frail and drained as opposed to her normal lively and outspoken persona. Rena went red faced from embarrassment, stuttering and trying to form coherent words.

"She is correct. My databanks make no mention of any successful procreation between an elf and human throughout the course of history." Eve chimed in. How long and where this conversation would have gone would be left to the imagination, as Elsword came down, his tunic slightly wet from apparent tears.

"That's enough. Rena, that's my sister and I won't allow any sort of talk like that; she may be affected by Dark El, but we know there is a way to remove it. We just need to find another moonstone." Elsword growled, even though he knew that obtaining a moonstone would be no easy task, even getting one for Aisha proved extremely challenging. "This has been a stressful day, we all need to rest. The guard duty will continue to shift every few hours." There was a tiny murmur of consent from the group, Rena feeling slightly guilty that she had said such an accusatory thing. They settled down for the night as best they could, reality making sleep very difficult to come by for them all.

* * *

Morning came slowly for the famed Elgroup and the only surviving member of the Red Knights. Sunlight slid through the window on the upper floor, gliding into the room and reflecting across a metal arm and hitting the owner's eyes. Wincing slightly, Raven slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the light as it hit his retinas before moving his head. He felt the surface of the bed he was on, but it didn't make any sense to him.

 _'Elesis struck me...how am I here?'_ Raven's mind was fuzzy, he recalled events happening after, but did not have the coherency to make sense of it all. Hearing slight whimpering, he lifted his head, noting how it slightly hurt his neck to do so, he saw a familiar mop of light red hair, a gloved hand gripping his metal talons. She was asleep, but it was obviously restless, if the second sound she made was any indication. Raven lifted his arm, gingerly pulling his talons loose and placed them upon her head, once again lamenting the lack of feeling in his metal appendage.

The cold metal shook Elesis from her nightmares, her eyes flying open as she stiffened, but almost instantly relaxed when she remembered the cold. She lifted her head slowly, almost not daring to believe what she thought, what she dared to hope was the truth. Her sickly yellow eye widened as she shot straight up upon meeting his beautifully haunting gold ones, a tender smile on his face.

"Hello again Elesis." In a single instant, she forgot about her dead troops, she forgot about the El driving her to kill demons perpetually, she forgot about her brother's allies downstairs. All that mattered was that her single anchor left in the world was alive, and she was vividly reminded of it when she practically jumped into the bed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he put his around her waist. Raven wordlessly held the young woman, relishing this moment even if it wasn't exactly for the best of circumstances.

She lifted her head from the crook of his neck and captured his lips in a fiery embrace, closing her eyes and relishing the moment as Raven returned the attention. Raven cupped the back of her head and kept her lips against his, even though she didn't seem all that eager to get off of him. He felt pain all over his chest and stomach, but paid it no mind as he held her tightly against himself before pulling away from the kiss to breath. "Raven I-" He placed a metal talon over Elesis' lips, silencing her.

"Don't speak." There was no anger in his voice, no hate. "Everything is alright." She shook her head and looked down.

"No, it's not! I almost killed you! I can barely keep myself in control as it is..." Raven sat up slowly, which brought Elesis back to him with a look of panic which was swiftly calmed after he only showed a small wince of pain.

"We will put you back in control. I will help you get back in control." He said this quietly yet with such authority, she couldn't help but believe him. She smiled and buried her face into his neck, her eyes watering as she once again was reminded why she loved him.

They remained like that until Aisha came to check on Raven, who was only met with the sight of Elesis straddling him and the two of them embracing as if today was their last. Her surprise drew the attention of the others downstairs, who came running up as fast as they could. Despite the fear that had coursed through all of them, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw Raven was alive and awake, even if Rena and Aisha blushed fiercely at their position.

They checked Raven's wound, but was surprised to see it healing so quickly, it was already mostly closed up. Even so, the group agreed to not move out until Raven was ready, and Elsword ordered Chung and Rena to run back to the camp to get supplies as Eve left to maintain watch over the house, holding one of her gatling guns at the ready in case any demons took it upon themselves to come closer.

Once Aisha wrapped up Raven's wound with fresh bandages, she left quickly and went downstairs to Elsword, who was sorting their supplies and evaluating what they had, leaving only Elesis and Raven in the room together, the red clad warrior cuddling into the swordsman's side as he rested.

"Raven...I know I haven't said it much before but...I love you." She said quietly, placing a hand on his chest. Raven smiled and turned his head, tilting hers up towards him.

"I love you too Elesis. Never forget that." He kissed her softly as she smiled before lightly smacking his chest to not hurt him.

"I doubt I will. We both need our rest though. We should take advantage of it now..." Elesis felt, rather then saw, Raven nod as she nestled into his side, the man putting one arm around her protectively to hold her, as he would the rest of their time together.

 **Okay so...yeah, I kinda dropped the ball on this one. More than a year later, Christ all-mighty. Yeah, things happened in my life but I also had practically zero motivation to write absolutely anything and only recently got it back. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, yes I know I said I was going to make this a dual ending sort of thing, and I'm going to work on that another time, but for now, this is done. Now I can move on to a request fic that's been sitting on the backburner for so long now.**

 **I AM ALIVE!**


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